Apollo 13: Analysis of NASA Mission Control and Spacecraft Performance

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the performance of NASA's Mission Control and the spacecraft during the Apollo 13 mission. It begins with an executive summary outlining the key findings and the application of the Nadler-Tushman congruence model as a diagnostic tool. The introduction details the mission's context, including the technical failure and the successful handling of the crisis. The report then delves into the Nadler-Tushman model, explaining its components and application to the Apollo 13 case, highlighting the fit between work, culture, people, and structure within NASA. Data sources, including the Apollo 13 movie and various NASA articles, are discussed. A situational overview, including internal and external environment analyses, is presented using SWOT and PESTLE analyses to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, as well as political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors. The report concludes with a root cause analysis using Fishbone diagrams and Forcefield Analysis, and provides recommendations for improvement.

Running head: MANAGEMENT
Analysis of the performance of Mission Control and the Spacecraft as members of NASA:
A case study of Apollo 13
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

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Executive statement
This report highlights the performance evaluation of the mission control and space craft by
NASA used for the Apollo 13 mission to the moon. Analysis has been done on the basis of the
data collected from the 1995 movie Apollo 13, directed by Ron Howard, and data collected from
various articles gathered from the NASA database and other online sources. Nadler-Tushman
congruence model was applied as a diagnostic tool to find out the roots of the problem, which is
the technical fault in the space craft. However, the operation of the mission control was efficient.
The paper also reported the internal and external environment analysis of the mission. The report
also puts across a root cause analysis of the failed mission of Apollo 13 through a Fishbone
diagram and a Forcefield Analysis. There are also recommendations along with reasons as to
why they are effective.

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Introduction: Diagnostic approach
This report highlights an analytical overview of the mission control and space craft
performance of NASA in the context of Apollo 13, launched in the year of 1970. NASA
launched their third crewed mission to the moon, Apollo 13, on April 11, 1970. Jim Lovell, John
Swigert and Fred Haise were the three astronauts who commanded the mission. After two days
to the launch, the mission experienced a fault in its electrical system, when one of the oxygen
tanks of the Service Module exploded and damaged the other two oxygen tanks with it. This
resulted in loss of all the oxygen stores within 3 hours, loss of electricity, loss of Command
Module’s heat shield, loss of water and also the loss of propulsion system (Nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov,
2019). Thus, the mission to the moon had to be aborted. The crew had to use Lunar Module as a
lifeboat for returning to the earth. The crew returned to the earth on April 13, six days after the
launch despite a great challenge caused by limited power, shortage of portable water, and loss of
cabin heat, and this mission was termed as a ‘successful failure’ (NASA, 2019). The mission was
controlled in the Mission Centre of NASA, by four flight directors.
Nadler-Tushman Congruence Model has been used in this study to explore and analyze
the performance of the mission control and the space craft that was used for Apollo 13 mission.
This diagnostic approach was developed by David A. Nadler and Michael L. Tushman in the
early 1980s for identifying the root causes of the performance issues in any organizational
aspects or equipments. The outcomes of this analysis are beneficial for identifying the issues and
providing recommendations to fix those (Yoon, 2017). In this model, the congruence of all the
important elements of an organizations are described, which brings success to the organization.

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Figure 1: Nadler-Tushman Congruence Model
(Source: Yoon, 2017)
As seen from the above diagram, four critical factors of the organization, namely, work,
culture, structure and people must fit together to for transforming the inputs into productive
outputs. Problems arise when there is a poor fit or incongruence among these factors. There are
various other models also for root cause analysis; however, in this model the complex
organizational problem is identified in a simpler manner (Rasskazov et al., 2016). This model is
also useful for understanding the impact of change management on the organizational
interactions and performances. This model enables a fit among the social and technical
components. Using this approach, the incidence of Apollo 13 will be analyzed to explain the
performance of both the mission control and space craft.
Diagnostic tool application
Regarding the mission of Apollo 13, the four elements of Nadler-Tushman Congruence
Model belong to NASA. The astronomical or flight control projects are always controlled by the
Mission Control Center of NASA, situated in Houston. The operational room is the place from
where the flight controllers command, monitor and plan the operations for the International
Space System (ISS). As per the Nadler-Tushman Congruence Model, there should be a good fit

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among the work, culture, people and structure of the organization. As seen from the movie
Apollo 13, the abort of the mission to land on the moon and taking quick decision to return to
earth by taking careful measures can be explained as a successful implementation of the
diagnostic tool, that is, Nadler-Tushman Congruence Model.
The crucial leaders of this mission were James A. Lovell Jr (Commander), John Swigert
(Command Module Pilot), Fred Haise (Lunar Module Pilot), and Deke Slayton (Flight Crew
Operations Director of NASA) who controlled the mission from the center of Houston. The work
culture was flexible as when Kenneth Mattingly, the previous Command Module Pilot,
developed measles three days before the flight, the mission control team took the quick decision
to send the backup Command Module Pilot John Swigert as a prime crew to the mission. Thus,
work, people and work culture did fit well together. Furthermore, NASA has a complex
organizational structure, which majorly follows the functional organizational structure, as seen in
the Figure 2 (NASA_Organizational structure, 2019). As there are many layers, the mission
control and the space craft management follow different layers of administration. However, both
of these functional areas need to be fit extremely well together to make the mission successful. A
successful mission requires many elements to fit together which also includes environment,
resources and history, that work as the input factors and through the application of proper
strategy, these are congruence with work, people, culture and organizational structure and that
leads to the output comprising of systems, unit and individuals’ performances (Frank, 2017). As
in the case of Apollo 13, the mission was successful for the first two days, however, technical
fault appeared on the third day, implying a problem in the manufacturing and maintenance of the
space craft, thereby indicating a poor fit in the work factor, and this resulted in a big mishap with

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the mission. This also hampered the outcome in terms of the desired performance of the mission
and the teams associated (NASA, 2019).
However, as there is a good fit among the other factors, proper damage control actions
could be taken to return the three crew members to the earth safely. The Lunar Module was used
as a life boat for the crew to return safely. The decision making abilities and actions taken to
control any damage reflect a good congruence among the organizational factors. The incidence
of Apollo 13 is termed as one of the most noted successful failures in the history of NASA. As
per the congruence model by Nadler and Tushman, there is an excellent fit among the crucial
factors of NASA and this is also beneficial to identify the source of problem and address those in
the most quick and efficient manner, as happened in the case of Apollo 13.

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Figure 2: Organizational structure of NASA
(Source: NASA_Organizational structure, 2019)
Data sources
The information regarding the Apollo 13 incidence was collected from many secondary
sources. One of those sources is the 1995 movie Apollo 13, directed by Ron Howard. This movie
depicted the total story of Apollo 13, starting from the beginning of the mission to the safe return
of the crews. Along with the movie, various articles from NASA and newspapers have been
consulted to get information on this mission and the space craft and on the organizational
structure of NASA. Furthermore, various literatures on the congruence model by Nadler and
Tushman were also reviewed to apply the diagnostic model on the case study of Apollo 13.
Situational overview
Situational overview or environment analysis refers to a strategic tool which explores and
identifies the internal and external factors that affect the performance of the organization. There
are some internal and some external factors that are analyzed so that the organization can
understand the potential opportunities and threats to the business and take actions accordingly by
utilizing its strengths and weaknesses (Morden, 2016). The internal and external environments
for the mission control and space craft for Apollo 13, that is, for NASA and their analyses are
depicted below.
Internal environment analysis
Internal environment refers to those factors that can be controlled by the organization for
achieving the best outcome. It helps the organization to recognize the strengths and weaknesses
and make strategies accordingly (Grant, 2016). SWOT analysis is used for internal environment

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analysis. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. SWOT for the
mission control and space craft of NASA and these are described below.
SWOT analysis for mission control
Strengths: The mission control for the Apollo 13 and other subsequent missions of NASA are
based on highly advanced technologies that exist over the time. The organizational structure, the
level of high intelligence and skills of the scientists and researchers, amount of funding,
monitoring and control technologies are all big strength factors for NASA and its mission control
teams.
Weaknesses: During the 1970s, the technologies were not much advanced as it is in the present
times. There was lack of GPS technology, or improved communication systems compared to the
present times. Hence, errors or lack of communications used to occur, which sometimes affected
the performance of the monitoring systems or mission control.
Opportunities: The incidence of Apollo 13 opened new avenues of research on the
technicalities of the spacecrafts, which has been beneficial in the future endeavors of NASA.
With every failure, the organization gets new opportunities for research and development in the
study of astronomy.
Threats: Likewise the objectives of Apollo 13 which were not fulfilled due to technical fault, the
threat of similar failure is always there in all of their projects. Since, all these projects are highly
capital intensive, any slight failure can lead to loss of huge capital as well as time and effort.

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SWOT analysis for space craft
Strengths: The space crafts used by NASA for their space projects are highly advanced in
technology and safety regulations.
Weaknesses: As seen in the case of Apollo 13, a technical fault can happen anytime. In this
case, the oxygen tank did not operate efficiently due to damaged fill line and led to a massive
failure of the mission.
Opportunities: technological advancements and improvements in the safety features are
progressing quite rapidly, which is increasing the rate of success of the missions by reducing the
technical faults.
Threats: the potential risk of technical failure in any space mission is always present and that
can lead to a disaster as seen in case of Apollo 13.
External environment analysis
External environment refers to the exogenous factors that cannot be controlled by an
organization and it mainly addresses the macroeconomic variables. PESTLE analysis is the tool
for external environment analysis. PESTLE stands for Political, Economic, Social, Technical,
Legal and Environmental factors. As in the case of Apollo 13, its mission and space craft, all are
operations of NASA and hence would share the same external environment. Thus, the PESTLE
analysis is conducted for NASA, as the overall organization, which also includes various
departments, projects and technical equipment.
Political: The political condition of the country, that is, in the USA, is mostly stable although
there has been some turmoil regarding the increasing immigration in the country. USA being the

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second biggest democracy of the world, provides ample incentives and grants to NASA for
excelling in the space research. The country has a liberal political environment, which
encourages the research and development works (Marsh, 2016). NASA as a premier institution
has given the country the top position in the space research and development of various
revolutionary technology, rockets, launchers, satellites etc. and also produced numerous
successful missions to the space and hence, the institution has political support.
Economic: USA is one of the most developed economies of the world. It is also the largest
economy by nominal GDP, and contains some of the biggest companies of the world. It also has
been shaping the international economy through international trade, aids and grants (Kenourgios
& Dimitriou, 2015). NASA, the biggest space and astronomical research centers of the world,
gets substantial amounts and grants from the government to carry out their projects and research
works. The economic condition in the country is stable and growing and hence, there has not
been any funding problem for NASA.
Social: USA is one of the most populous countries in the world. Along with the citizens, there is
a large number of immigration happening every year, which is creating a diverse culture in the
country. NASA employs highly skilled scientists from all over the world, and hence, people from
diverse background work there. The work culture in the country encourages employment of
highly skilled workers from all over the world and that has been helpful for NASA (Gavanas &
Williams, 2016).
Technological: The level of technological advancement is very high in the country. Space and
astronomical research requires the most advanced level of research technology, which USA can
provide and afford on the basis of its economic condition (Van den Berg, 2016). NASA is a

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pioneer in the astronomical research and thereby the technologies that are used in manufacturing
the space crafts, launchers, monitoring and controlling systems, communication devices etc. are
quite complex and highly advanced. The technological developmental scenario is highly
advanced in the country which is beneficial for NASA.
Legal: The legal frameworks and regulations are favorable for astronomical research in the
USA. The space research is always encouraged and the all types of helps from the government
are provided to the space research centers, like NASA. Various properties were allocated to
NASA to build their research centers and rocket launching centers. The international space
regulations and safety regulations must be obeyed by NASA, however, the other rules of
research and launching spacecrafts are extremely favorable (Hamilton & Webster, 2018).
Environmental: Launching rockets to the space has a tremendous impact on the environment
due to extreme heat and fire and hence, these centers are built in isolated locations to reduce the
impact on the surrounding neighborhood and communities. Although various research works are
going on to improve sustainability and satellites are being launched for getting remote
information and developing those, the space research and astronomical activities has some
impact on the environment, which affects the sustainability (Wallace, 2017).
Analysis: Problem/success root causes identification
Apollo 13 has been one of the largest death defying adventures in history whose failed
mission of landing on moon due to spacecraft explosion has forced the flight controllers of
NASA in turning the mission for ensuring the safety return of the three men. The control of the
Apollo 13 mission has brought it under the scrutiny of various tools (Loftus, 2013).

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The mission of Apollo 13 had to be aborted due to technical faults and hence, the
objectives of the project did not get fulfilled. It’s a failure of the long term planning, loss of huge
amount of cost, technical inefficiency, loss of spaceship and moreover, there was a potential
threat of losing the three astronauts. On the other hand, the safe return of the astronauts was a
success part of this mission. Thus, the failure of the mission is attributed to the technical faults of
the spacecraft and lack of proper maintenance, while the success of the return of the three crew
members can be attributed to the efficiency of the mission control team. As seen from the
diagnostic approach, the Nadler-Tushman congruence model can be applied in this case and the
problem can be identified in the work element. That had to be addressed by the other elements,
namely, people, culture and structure of the organization.
Fishbone Analysis
One of the tools is the Fishbone analysis. It is basically the cause and effect analysis of
the problem that one tries to solve (Dobrusskin, 2016). This kind of analysis enables a person in
discovering root cause of the problem. This particular tool is also known as the cause and the
effect or the Ishikawa diagram. This particular tool helps in brainstorming for identification of
the causes of the problem and thereby sorting the ideas into useful categories (Swanson & Creed,
2014). In other words, the fishbone diagram represents represent a visual means of looking at the
cause and the effect. In fact, it is one of the most structured approaches available for
brainstorming a particular problem. The effect or the problem remains displayed at the mouth or
the head of the fish while the contributing cause remains listed as smaller bones under different
categories. Thus, the fishbone diagram remains helpful in the identification of the probable
causes of a problem that may not be considered by the directing team for looking at the
categories and thereby thinking of the alternative causes (Hoffman & Boyle, 2016). The analysis